Is Avi Lewis making his first big mistake?

Leadership is in Avi Lewis' family’s DNA, but leadership requires taking risks. Contesting Beaches-East York might seem risky, but there are really no downsides. Diefenbaker and Douglas proved it. Lewis' grandfather discovered it after losing his first attempt at getting elected to Parliament in 1940. Lewis should go for it.

NDP Leader Avi Lewis, pictured at the NDP leadership convention in Winnipeg, Man., on March 28, 2026. The Hill Times photograph by Matthew Merkel

Opinion

BY NELSON WISEMAN

May 18, 2026

TORONTO—Newly-minted NDP leader Avi Lewis is making an error by not participating in the forthcoming byelections in the two soon-to-be vacant ridings of Beaches-East York, Ont., and North Vancouver-Capilano, B.C. He will not run in either, he says, because his priority is ...

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